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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

I have been reading quite a bit about gray slowly but surely become the new neutral of choice in interiors, so when I stumbled upon this picture recently, I thought it beautifully reflected this trend. The gray of the sofa, the walls and trim work, the tone on tone curtains with the slightly deeper shade on the leading edge – the room looks timeless, and hardly trendy, and I wondered if this room would have been cloaked in shades of beige and brown had it been designed 10 years ago. Library designed by Peggy Stone, photo credit Peter Vitale, via Veranda.

Given that this first image was featured in Veranda, I looked on the Veranda web site to check it out, but did not find it. It is interesting to me that Veranda does not keep all of their articles on the website – I wonder why? However, it was not hard to find the images in the blogosphere. This image (above) was found on Cote de Texas; Joni noted that the house reminded her of the wonderful houses she used to love from Southern Accents and older Veranda issues. She noted that houses like this just aren’t featured as much in today’s interior design magazines. Photo credit Peter Vitale, via Veranda.

This image, from Veranda, really captured my attention. The paneling on the walls and in the doors, the thickness of the walls, the beautiful pattern on the wood floor, the antiqued glass in the rounded entry – what beautiful attention to architectural detail. This is a house that was beautifully conceived and designed to be true to the French style, not just in the interior design but the architectural design as well. The circle motif above the door in particular caught my eye, and when I realized that this house was located in Atlanta, I also recalled that I had seen a similar design in a house that is currently on the market in Atlanta. Photo credit Peter Vitale, via Veranda.

Sure enough, this house is one and the same as a house that is listed by Beacham & Company – in the listing detail, the Veranda feature is noted. The house was designed by Duane Stone, for designer Peggy Stone. As the Veranda article notes, this house was a labor of love – a house build by a lifelong Francophile, to feature her collection of a lifetime. Certainly the collection of antiques is impressive, but what I love about the house is that the bones and the setting are also so exquisite – the attention to detail is incredible, and this will stay with the house even when the antiques and objects go with Ms. Stone.

The exterior of the house was not shown in the Veranda article, but it is as French as the interior, with the beautiful soft color scheme of the house and shutters, and the pea gravel motor court that extends to the front of the house, creating both a visual and a textural introduction to the house. Image from the real estate listing.

Here is a picture of the living room/library, as taken by Blayne Beacham for the real estate photos. It’s interesting to see that the room is set up almost identically to the way it was shown in Veranda, with the exception of the screen that is placed in front of the window. So many times a room is styled in a particular way for a magazine, with accessories and furniture that the designer brings in just for the photo shoot. Not the case here! Image from the real estate listing, photo credit Blayne Beacham.

I always find it gratifying to see real estate photos, because it gives me a better understanding of how the house flows. From this perspective of the foyer, it is clear that the dining room is on one side, the living room (which I had incorrectly identified as a library) on the other side. Image from the real estate listing, photo credit Blayne Beacham.

Based on this picture, the stairs are at the back of the house, seen when entering the foyer. Image from the real estate listing, photo credit Blayne Beacham.

A different view of the stairs. Note the beautiful curve of the stair, and the herringbone pattern on the floors. I love the little painting under the sconce – what a charming place for a small piece of art. Image from the real estate listing, photo credit Blayne Beacham.

I don’t think that the kitchen was shown in the Veranda article (I looked high and low, and could not find my April 2011 issue), but it is beautiful and very much in keeping with the style of the house. What I find to be interesting is that the house was designed and built in 2002 – 10 years ago – clearly Ms. Stone drew her inspiration from the style of Europe, versus the trends that were going on in Atlanta at the time. Image from the real estate listing, photo credit Blayne Beacham.

Another view of the kitchen that shows the connection with the adjacent rooms (breakfast room and keeping room). Image from the real estate listing.

This angle shows how the kitchen opens to the keeping room and the breakfast room. I seem to recall seeing the Louis XV cardboard figure in Veranda, but could not find the image. Image from the real estate listing.

A quick peek at the family room, with its many layers and textures. The collection of blue and white pieces on the commode is the highlight of the room to me. Image from the real estate listing, photo credit Blayne Beacham.

I would love to see this house after a new owner purchases it – certainly it will have an entirely different look and feel, given that the current homeowners have such an extensive collection of antiques and collected objects. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the house decorated in a more streamlined style? The beauty of this house is that the bones are so wonderful, and it will suit any number of design styles because so much thought was put into the architecture and flow of the house.

That first room took my breath away.....wow oh wow!! Hi Holly...should have started with that first but was so excited about that room! Have seen this house here and there its such a charmer. I agree about Veranda, why don't they keep their archives in a nice little file like Arc Digest, they know how we all get..lol!Thanks for the post, its beautiful and I hope all is well on your end and that you are settling in and enjoying your new home. I for one, am feeling like I just starting to get over this out of body experience called moving.NEVER AGAIN!Take care.....

I think this house will sell very quickly. I linked over to the listing, and it seems well priced. The decorations are beautiful, but unique and of a certain taste. It would be good for the potential buyers to try to see the rooms empty or with a more streamlined decor. It would be interesting to see what another Atlanta designer would do with the spaces - Bob Brown comes to mind, with his streamlined and masculine style.

What a gorgeous home! I do think it would be fun to see it redecorated by the new owners. The house has such beautiful bones....many different styles would work there. Although the interiors were what I was focused on....I ended up pinning one of the garden images. My true back yard is rather narrow and long and this is giving me some ideas!

I live in Atlanta, and have driven by this house countless times and did not realize it was the house in Veranda last year. Thank you for this post, it is amazing how you link together things like this.

Wow, Holly, this house is fabulous!! Adore the soothing gray tones of the living room, the spectacular floors in the entry, the vaulted ceiling in the master, and the incredible gardens...it's total perfection!!

As beautiful as the interior design looks, this is a house that might benefit from selling without the owner's possessions, so potential buyers can see themselves in it. It is not really the 'style' that people can see beyond,

Such a classic. Funny that with so much formal detail I still felt the urge to go into any of the rooms shown and relax. Sometimes formal homes can translate into a stuffy, overly stiff feeling space. Thanks for the homework you did on our behalf!Karen

beautiful article. someone sent me the listing a few months ago but i was told that the owner did not want it on a blog or advertised in any way. which is so strange - how would you sell a house? this house and her style reminds me of Ginny's. glad you posted this so we can all enjoy Blayne's gorgeous photograps.

omg Holly! A-MAZING! this is probably the most beautiful house in Blogland, I saved every single image!! THANK YOU! Loved looking at this beautiful property and hope to incorporate some of the details in my own home.

Lovely post. The house looks collected with lovely fabric and furnishings. It doesn't look like the owners are reading design blogs which seems to be the case with so many homes seen today on blogs. It looks like the people who lived here loved and cared for it. It is not a sterile showhouse full of white Belgian/Swedish furniture lacking the joy of home we have become accustomed to seeing. The only things I do not like about this house is the front door and the beamed ceilings in some of the rooms which detract from the home's formality.

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